New
York State Senate Health Committee Chairman Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau) introduced
legislation (Senate bill 6477) to increase access to Naloxone, the
drug-overdose antidote.If timely
administered, Naloxone can prevent an overdose death. “It is simple,” said Senator Hannon, “ensuring
drug abusers, their family and friends can access Naloxone will save lives.”

Dr.
Jeffrey Reynolds, Executive Director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism
and Drug Dependence (LICADD) agrees. “Drug overdoses are completely preventable and
too many families on Long Island and statewide are losing a race against time
as they struggle to find help for their addicted loved ones. Too many young people never make it through
the doors of a treatment center.”

The
Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that every 19 minutes,
one person dies from an accidental overdose from prescription drug abuse.In an effort to curb this prescription drug
crisis, the legislature enacted the seminal I-STOP legislation in 2012.Due to the success of I-STOP, street access
to controlled substances has decline. One
unfortunate side effect of this is that drug abusers are turning to other drugs
such as heroin, as now the cheaper alternative to prescription drugs.

In
2011, the state enacted good Samaritan protections for witnesses and victims of
overdoses. By removing the threat of
prosecution, this measure encourages witnesses of an overdose to call 911
before it becomes deadly. “It has been
estimated that heroin addiction on Long Island has increased nearly fourfold
since 2011. This alarming statistic
demonstrates the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing the state’s
drug crisis. Ensuring families have access to Naloxone is the next necessary
step” said Hannon.

“Overdose
prevention programs on Long Island are reaching only a fraction of those who
need access to this life-saving drug and in face of a burgeoning opiate crisis,
we should be using every tool at our disposal to keep people alive, treat their
disease and help them down a path of recovery,” said Reynolds. “We at LICADD commend Senator Hannon for his
continued commitment to public health and thoughtful, pragmatic leadership.”

Naloxone, which has no effect on individuals
that do not have opioids in their system, is currently available in Nassau
County and Suffolk County through EMT programs. In Nassau County EMTs administer Naloxone
through their police department’s ambulance service. “Current programs equipping EMTs with
Naloxone have proven successful, but more can be done. We have parents in line for Naloxone training
programs, but not enough health care practitioners prescribing Naloxone to meet
the demand” said Hannon.

Hannon’s
legislation would address this by allowing authorized health care professionals
to issue non-patient specific orders to
certified training programs, who could then distribute the Naloxone kits to individuals
upon completion of the training program. “I don’t see a downside here, giving people
access to Naloxone will enable them to save their loved ones from tragic accidental
overdose deaths.”